Margaret

I live in Elmira, NY (home of Livvy, and the place where Twain was buried). Even before I moved here I was fascinated by Twain's writing and my interest has only increased over the years. I vaguely knew that he had left some writings for future publication and I was thrilled when I saw that Audible had it. Have to admit that the foreword was a bit discouraging, but once past that it just got better and better, until by the end I truly felt that I was having tea with Samuel Clemens and listening to his wonderful stories. I could almost smell the cigar smoke!

Great job -- can't wait for the next volume!

One good idea does not a 500 page book make. This should have been firmly edited to half its length. Poor narration didn't help.

A thoroughly researched imagining of the back story of the shadowy father in Little
Women.

I had a little trouble getting into the story at first, but stick with it and gradually you will find yourself being pulled back into 19th century America. An awesome accomplishment; but then I would expect nothing else from such a fine writer!

The author apparently has a well regarded television show in Britain. Unfortunately this book is sort of like listening to the audio of that show without any visuals. There are one or two brief moments of promise when the characters or settings actually come to life, but they are few and far between.

The statues of Easter Island are an amazing mystery that have fascinated me ever since I read Thor Heyerdahl's works as a teenager. While this books does not attempt to answer the question of why they were created (the title is a bit misleading), it does present new theories of how they were created and transported. It also gives a view of the culture that is much more positive than that presented by Jared Diamond. A very good listen!

Although I cannot comment on the medical accuracy of this book, the story was gripping and very well written. My only complaint was that the reader's pace was a bit too fast for me, but when I slowed it down a tad on my player it was fine.

I adore this series! Wittily written, and matched with the perfect reader. Lemony Snicket, you've been topped.

Can't wait for the next one!

I have to say that the first half had me wondering why this book was so highly rated. The author's narration, while competent, was not exceptional, and I found the story hard to follow. BUT, beginning with chapter 7 I was enthralled! The ideas and concepts sparked out every minute and I could not stop listening. It's now past midnight and I will be wiped out at work tomorrow but I had to write a review. Brian Christian please write more -- your ideas are amazing!

The early chapters, while interesting and well read, were all stuff I had heard before. But the last chapter...well, THAT's worth FIVE stars.

I am a high school librarian and I have been struggling to find a new vision as I enter my 20th year of teaching, and worry about my grandchildren's future. Between our failing economy, potential climate change and the new "free" culture of the Internet I have been finding it difficult to see where we are heading. The last chapter of this book helped me see a potential direction. Thank you for helping me RE-find my 'element' Ken!

to write a boring book about such a fascinating topic. Unfortunately, this is it. Even worse, there are occasional throwaway tidbits (apparently scientists are not really as positive about the rats, fleas, plague connection as I was led to believe in my history classes) that popped up and were then dropped. Just enough to keep me listening, but not enough to relieve my eventual frustration. With a lot of editing this might have been a decent 4 hour book.